Cabinet assembly



Sept. 17, 1968 H. A.THOR

CABINET ASSEMBLY 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 1, 1967 FIG 1 HARQI XT I HOR ATTORNEY Sept. 17, 1968 H. A. THOR 3,401,652

CABINET ASSEMBLY Filed June 1. 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 viva 70R HARRY A. THOR a jw A T TOR/V5 Y Sept 17, 1968 H. A. THOR CABINET ASSEMBLY 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 1, 1967 FIG.6

- //v VEN TOR HARRY Av THOR ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,401,652 CABINET ASSEMBLY Harry A. Thor, 48 Crestmont Road, Bingharnton, N.Y. 13905 Filed June 1, 1967, Ser. No. 642,960 7 Claims. (Cl. 108106) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cabinet assembly comprising side panels which have longitudinally placed metallic U-shaped channel inserts placed in flutings cut into the panels. Angle brackets, slidable in the channels, may be secured at desired levels for the support of horizontally placed shelf boards. The side panels are supported between ceiling and floor by studs attached to the upper and lower edges of the panels. A spring supported telescoping portion in each of the upper studs is adjustable as to height, and carries a contact disc for engaging the ceiling. Grooves in the shelf boards accommodate sliding panels serving as doors of the cabinet.

This invention relates to cabinet assemblies and, more particularly, to component elements of particular construction for quick and easy assembly of a cabinet or shelf. The construction of a cabinet requires considerable skill and a variety of tools not generally possessed by the average individual who must, therefore, either purchase complete assemblies or have one made to order at a sizeable cost. The need for a set of component elements which are easily assembled to form a cabinet or shelf is manifestly apparent. Attempts have been made to supply cabinets in a knocked-down form but these follow a fixed design from which no departure can be made, and considerable labor is involved in their assembly.

It is, accordingly, the primary object of this invention to provide component elements for a cabinet or shelf construction which may be easily assembled in a variety of configurations.

It is a particular feature of the invention that the component elements for a cabinet assembly are so designed that the structure may be easily erected by a person not skilled in carpentry, requiring only the use of a screw driver. 4

A particular advantage of the cabinet assembly in accordance with this invention is that the structure, while sturdy in construction, has only point contacts with the floor and the ceiling of a room, leaving no appreciable marks and may easily be moved to different locations.

Other objects, features and advantages will be apparent from the following description of the invention, pointed out in particularity in the appended claims, and taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view in perspective of a completed assembly, portions of which are shown in phantom view.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the top portion of a side panel with an exploded view of the support mechanism.

FIG. 3 is a view partially in cross section of the telescoping member of the support mechanism located in a side panel.

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view illustrating the disposition and clamping of the shelf support members.

FIG. 5 is an elevational view partially in section of a contact disc at the end of a vertical support member.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial view of a contact disc and, in relation thereto, an exaggerated view of the adhesive coating.

FIG. 7 is a view in perspective of a portion of the assembly, illustrating the disposition of sliding doors.

3,401,652 Patented Sept. 17, 1968 "ice Referring to the figures, the cabinet construction comprises essentially pre-cut and prefabricated component elements which may have a variety of proportions and sizes. Each component may be assembled with other elements to form a unitary structure in a simple manner and in a relatively short time. The end result is a cabinet or shelf structure which is supported between the ceiling and the floor of a room at only point contacts which, nonetheless, provide sufficient gripping force to retain the assembly in place against normally encountered stresses of load and use.

In essence, as seen in FIG. 1, the cabinet includes two side panels 10 and 11 which may be spaced at any desired distance apart, depending on the length of the shelf boards 15, 16, 17 and 18 which have been selected for the assembly. It is evident that the boards may easily be cut from the standard length which may be supplied in a kit to any length which the person assembling it may need for a particular location in a room.

The shelf boards 15, 16, 17 and 18 have longitudinally extending flutings 20 on the underside, as seen in FIGS. 4 and 7, to accommodate the shelf support members 21. The latter, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, have the form of angle brackets of special construction, having a downwardly extending flat portion 22 and a horizontally extending cylindrical portion 23 which has serrations 24 at the top for gripping action in the fluting 20 of the shelf boards.

Certain of the shelf boards, such as 16 and 17, have longitudinally extending grooves 26 on both sides parallel to the flutings 20 for slidably accommodating front panels 28 and 29 which serve as doors of the cabinet. The top and bottom boards 15 and 18 need have grooves 26 only on the inner side.

The erection of the cabinet assembly between the ceiling and the floor of the room is accomplished by special supports, as seen in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 5. In the enlarged view in FIG. 2, it is seen that a tubular stud 31 is arranged to fit into a hole 32 cut into the top edge of the panel 10. The stud 31 is affixed to a plate 34 which is recessed in cutout 35 in the edge of the panel 10. This assembly may be secured by suitable wood screws 36 in a conventional manner. A telescoping tubular member 38 is so dimensioned as to slidably fit into the stud 31. Surrounding the member 38 is a spring 39 of which a portion thereof has such a radius of convolutions as to tightly grip the pe riphery of the telescoping member 38. The convolutional gripping force prevents the sliding of the spring 39 once it is placed on the member 38 at a desired distance. The placement of the spring 39 at various distances may be accomplished by a rotary movement thereof in the direction opposite to its convolutional force, namely, in a direction which would tend to open the spring winding to release the force thereof. Once so placed, however, it will remain solidly on the member 38 and exert its force to hold the assembly against the ceiling. A plug 41 having a pin 42 fits into the tubular member 38 over which is placed a disc 43, so dimensioned in thickness as to allow slight protrusion of the pin 42. The top of the disc 43 may be covered with a pressure-sensitive adhesive 44. The purpose of the disc 43 is to contact the ceiling of the room while the pin 42 slightly engages the surface thereof. The main force is provided by the tension of the spring 39. The gripping of the adhesive 44 resists such sheering force which would be exerted by an extraneous force tending to dislocate the cabinet from its support.

The bottom portion of each side panel 10 and 11 is supported by a leg comprising a tubular stud 46 attached I to a plate 47 affixed by suitable screws 48 to the lower edge of the panel. A pin 49 fits in an aperture at the end of the stud 46 for the purpose of engaging the floor 50 of the room as seen in FIG. 1.

Upon erection of the panels and 11 at a suitable distance from each other, the shelf boards may easily be placed at desired heights by proper location of the brackets 21. For this purpose, there is provided a metallic insert 52 which forms a rectangular U-shaped channel and is imbedded in a vertically extending groove on the inner side of each panel. The inserts 52 are preferably held by a suitable glue requiring no fastening means and thereby simplifying the assembly. The flat portion 22 of the brackets 21 slide in the channel of the insert 52, the horizontally extending portion 23 thereof serving as the support for the shelf boards. The brackets 21 may be secured at any position within the channels of the inserts 52 by a flat-headed screw 53 which threads into a suitable opening in the flat portion 22. The serrations 24 engage the flutings of the shelf boards 15, 16, or 17 (FIG. 7), as the case may be, providing a firm support.

It is readily seen from the above description that the complete assembly for a cabinet structure from pre-cut portions has relatively few component elements which may be assembled easily by anyone, requiring no other tool than a screw driver to arrange the various shelf boards at any desired levels and in any desired number as may be required for a particular purpose.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific embodiments herein shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims, without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What is claimed is:

1. In a cabinet assembly, the structural features which comprise:

(a) a pair of side panels having vertically extending grooves on the inner sides thereof;

(b) inserts having walls defining a U-shaped channel placed in said grooves;

(c) a plurality of shelf support members slidably disposed in said channel and extending at substantially right angles to the inner sides of said panels;

((1) clamping means for securing said shelf support members to the inner side wall of said channel;

(e) shelf boards having a plurality of longitudinally extending fiutings on the underside accommodating said support members and resting thereon;

(f) support means for erecting said side panels between the ceiling and the floor of a room comprising a tubular stud attached to the upper edge of each of said panels, a telescoping member received in said stud, a ceiling contact disc attached to the end of said telescoping member, and resilient gripping means around said member holding said member at a desired adjusted position relative to said stud and biasing said member and said contact disc against said ceiling; and

(g) a lower cylindrical stud attached to the bottom edge of each of said panels, and a pin extending from said stud adapted to engage the floor of the room.

2. An assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said inserts comprise rectangular, hollow, metallic frames having a slot in one side thereof.

3. An assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said shelf support members comprise angle brackets having a downwardly extending fiat portion slidable in said channel and a horizontally extending cylindrical portion fitting in said flutings, the top of said cylindrical portion having serrations for gripping action.

4. An assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said clamping means comprise a flat-headed screw, the head portion of which engages the outer wall of said insert and the screw portion is adapted to be threaded into the slidable portion of said shelf support.

5. An assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said resilient gripping means comprises a coil spring wound around said telescoping member and attached thereto by convolutional force, preventing sliding movement.

6. An assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said contact discs have a coating of pressure-sensitive adhesive.

7. An assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said shelf boards have grooves on both sides for slidably accommodating therebetween vertically placed panels serving as cabinet doors.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,329,815 9/1943 Attwood 108-106 3,043,642 7/1962 Nelson et a1. 1081 14 3,059,983 10/1962 Strom 312-108 3,132,609 5/1964 Chesley 108106 3,327,310 6/1967 Bethune et a1 248356 FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Primary Examiner. 

